Front wheel camber?

[whtrapta]

On top or even mid perch, the front tires lean in a lot. The top of the tires is much further in than the bottom. It's causing bad tire wear and has a negative effect on the handling on the road.
Is there any way to fix this. I didn't see any adjustment on the upper control arm.

 

[pat'sRAPTOR]

What I had to do when I got mine aligned was get the camber kit cause even with the lower camber maxed out it was still off by a bit so I had to get the camber kit from SDHQ to get it in alignment. That should about fix it cause mine is perfectly aligned now! Hope this helps.

 

[pirate air]

Its all covered in here. Including perch adjustment conditions.

http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f9/your-raptor-its-alignment-539/

 

[Hockster]

Just redid mine after I took it to the Ford dealer down here in winchester, va. I gave the tech 20 extra and asked him to get it right for me... he said he couldnt get it in spec and needed the cam kit but he got it close... After the snoball 500 I went to my buddy in Mi and redid it got it right in spec with no kit... SO its just all in the place/tech that does the alignment... This is after I installed the Icon shocks too so I am higher that stock. Icon said its like the mid perch setting but it is higher than my old truck at the mid setting

 

[BlackMamba]

On top or even mid perch, the front tires lean in a lot. The top of the tires is much further in than the bottom. It's causing bad tire wear and has a negative effect on the handling on the road.
Is there any way to fix this. I didn't see any adjustment on the upper control arm.

You may have bent spindles. Based on your driving reputation, it would not surprise me at all. Even a minor bend in the spindle ear (one you can't see) can throw off the alignment. My LCAs were pulled all the way and I still ran -1.1 camber or so on mid-perch. Replaced the spindles, dropped truck to the ground and I instantly had positive camber (more noticeable than the excessive negative camber I had before). FYI, I am now effectively on top perch or very close to it (ICONs), lower arms are pulled out, and my truck is easy to get into spec.

You can buy adjustable UCAs (Outlaw, ICON, etc.). I did. They can give you a little more flexibility on dialing in that alignment if you are on the top, but not really necessary if your problem is the spindle.

The camber kits will help the tech dial in an alignment and hold it once it is set, but they do not give you "extra" adjustment. The mounting slots for the LCAs are what they are. In other words, if your spindles are bent, camber kits are not going to help. They did not help me. FYI, some people think the camber kits are bad (prone to shearing the bolt apparently). I will leave that to the experts. They definitely hold the alignment, even when offroading hard, but maybe that leads to the shearing instead of just letting the alignment slip. Again, experts, feel free to weigh in.

Read Pirate's post. Great stuff. He helped me initially diagnose my problem (along with Moto, Outlaw and ICON). Very grateful for his help (and everyone else too). I bet he responded to 10 PMs from me. Thanks Pirate!

As to tech selection, Hock is right. Very important. I finally found a good one. He has my truck dialed in to Pirate's suggested specs. So nice to drive a truck that doesn't fight you or destroy tires.

Finally, I bought Outlaw's gussets for my new spindles. Only $99 for the gussets plus their welding charge. Outlaw bought the new spindles, welded on the gussets and sent them to me. Great service. A little extra insurance for not much incremental cost.

Hope this helps. My alignment issue drove me crazy for months. PM me if you have any questions about my issues or fix.

 

[khcdave]

I run about 1 degree neg camber which is within spec with icons close to top perch. From the factory the lower control arm holes are slotted so without the camber/caster kit they are prone to moving when off road. They kits are a nut with cam built in and adjuster plate. Stock bolts are re used. Many auto parts store have them in stock since they are used on 150s. As said earlier they give u some adjustment but if ur spindles are bent u will be fighting that. Adjustable uppers are a good option too. I would fix the spindles first and do the gussets then go from there. Every truck I have done on mid perch never needed additional camber castor adjustment.

 

[ktm505sx]

 

[SQAudiophile]

That is tucked!

 

[BOJANGLES]

You may have bent spindles.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Travy]

You may have bent spindles. Based on your driving reputation, it would not surprise me at all. Even a minor bend in the spindle ear (one you can't see) can throw off the alignment. My LCAs were pulled all the way and I still ran -1.1 camber or so on mid-perch. Replaced the spindles, dropped truck to the ground and I instantly had positive camber (more noticeable than the excessive negative camber I had before). FYI, I am now effectively on top perch or very close to it (ICONs), lower arms are pulled out, and my truck is easy to get into spec.

You can buy adjustable UCAs (Outlaw, ICON, etc.). I did. They can give you a little more flexibility on dialing in that alignment if you are on the top, but not really necessary if your problem is the spindle.

The camber kits will help the tech dial in an alignment and hold it once it is set, but they do not give you "extra" adjustment. The mounting slots for the LCAs are what they are. In other words, if your spindles are bent, camber kits are not going to help. They did not help me. FYI, some people think the camber kits are bad (prone to shearing the bolt apparently). I will leave that to the experts. They definitely hold the alignment, even when offroading hard, but maybe that leads to the shearing instead of just letting the alignment slip. Again, experts, feel free to weigh in.

Read Pirate's post. Great stuff. He helped me initially diagnose my problem (along with Moto, Outlaw and ICON). Very grateful for his help (and everyone else too). I bet he responded to 10 PMs from me. Thanks Pirate!

As to tech selection, Hock is right. Very important. I finally found a good one. He has my truck dialed in to Pirate's suggested specs. So nice to drive a truck that doesn't fight you or destroy tires.

Finally, I bought Outlaw's gussets for my new spindles. Only $99 for the gussets plus their welding charge. Outlaw bought the new spindles, welded on the gussets and sent them to me. Great service. A little extra insurance for not much incremental cost.

Hope this helps. My alignment issue drove me crazy for months. PM me if you have any questions about my issues or fix.

So I have this same issue with the top of my tire leaning in after a jump that was a bit too much which has been causing that negative camber issue. I was thinking about replacing that knuckle on my raptor, however it is aluminum and I thought that it would break before it ever bent. So is there a way to tell if your knuckle (spindle) is actually bent?